The Britannia Mine can shed its distinction as one of North America's worst polluters and the surrounding community can begin growing now that the province and a corporate partner are cleaning up the mine's act, said Agriculture and Lands minister Pat Bell Monday (June 5).
"Cleaning up this site is opening new social and economic opportunities for the community of Britannia Beach," said Bell. "In the last two years, the change in terms of pride of ownership has been amazing."
On Monday (June 5), provincial ministers and representatives from wastewater treatment specialist EPCOR Utilities Inc., held a grand opening ceremony for a long anticipated water treatment plant to coincide with Canadian Environment Week and World Environment Day.
"For years Britannia Mine has sent a shiver down the spines of governments and environmentalists," said B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner. "Now the water is clean and [the treatment facility] powers itself."
The facility uses its own flowing water energy to clean acid rock drainage coming out of the mine that had been contaminating the Howe Sound with zinc, aluminum, lead and other heavy metals for more than 100 years.
Exposure of the mine's excavations to air and water resulted in acid rock drainage, a sulphuric acid solution that leached heavy metals from the mine. Rain and snowmelt carried these contaminants into Howe Sound, causing serious environmental damage.
A devastating and ongoing environmental fiasco, various governments have for 30 years pondered solutions to the site, which was deemed one of the worst polluters in North America and which Environment Canada once described as the worst single point of metals contamination in the country.
The Britannia Mine Water Treatment Facility is now treating an average of 12 million litres of water per day, removing the heavy metals and benefiting all Howe Sound communities, according to Squamish Mayor Ian Sutherland.
"We're seen as one whole area, this was a blight on all of us," said Sutherland. "This [treatment facility] is very positive, especially with 2010 so close. The environmental concerns were very real. This will encourage living in and doing business in Squamish."
In 1998, Iona Campagnolo, now B.C.'s Lieutenant-Governor, helped initiate the public/private partnership process that would lead to the Britannia Mine cleanup through her work with the Fraser Basin Council.
"We agreed is was time for the finger-pointing to end," said council director Bob Purdy. "It was time to get the lead outliterally."
In January 2004, the provincial government began taking expressions of interest from various corporations specializing in water treatment and Partnerships BC came on board to facilitate negotiations. One year later a deal was struck with EPCOR.
EPCOR provided upfront financing for the design and construction of the water treatment plant and will operate the facility for 20 years. The province contributes an annual operation fee based on the amount of water processed in accordance with environmental regulations.
The province will save more than $10 million dollars compared to completing the plant on its own, according to a government news release.
Since August 2001, the province has committed $116.5 million to identify, clean up and return to productive use a number of B.C.'s Crown contaminated sites, states the news release.
